No one can deny it’s been a tough 2022, and if January is anything to go by, then 2023 is not going to be any easier.
However sometimes the data we see represented in the headlines is very one dimensional, for instance last week BT consumers reported a 6% drop in Q4 revenues and revenues for the entire group were down 3%. Whilst this seems a small figure, when we are discussing billions this is a vast sum.
However does this actually show a failure, or a downward trend in BT or for telecoms in the UK?
They’ve managed to increase their 5G network to 60% of the UK and have grown their fibre network to 9.6 million homes… whilst revenue seems down this quarter, it’s clear that for now the focus is very much on infrastructure investment.
This is hardly surprising in the current market of grand mergers as previous behemoths of telecoms become veritable leviathans in the ocean of connectivity.
This doesn’t just mean that the time to enter the telecoms market is good, it’s a literal gold rush with some serious backing.
With Openreach forging ahead due to smaller light weight competitors posing very real challenges to their monopoly in building infrastructure as the UK yearns for coverage to be so much more complete across the satellite towns and rural communities it’s showing how despite costs continue to soar, that these firms recognise survival, not just growth is tied heavily to R&D.
This is shown by the BT group announcing a cost of living pay rise for at least 80% of their employees, whilst something to be wished for, is seeing to be a harder fight in many other industries.
This push for development, research and growth is not just coming from consumers requiring greater connectivity, but it seems the industry itself is pushing for better, more streamlined and more powerful connectivity than ever before.
It’s no longer enough to strive to be able to make a phone call anywhere in the country, we want to be able to have seamless, high quality downloads and streaming.
With this, OffCom have weighed in on the subject, giving a passive ultimatum to networks to switch off 3G and other older networks to create space for newer ones to grow.
As such, the only thing we know for certain is, that the next few years will bring even greater swathe’s of investment within the telecoms industry, whether or not profits increase, we will have progress.